I first heard about Canada based Acorn Biolabs (established in 2017) and its hair follicle banking service in 2023. I did not write a blog post about the company right away because I had already written about HairClone (UK) and its now well established hair follicle banking service.
Like most readers, I am somewhat suspicious about these annual fee based hair follicle storage services that offer potential future benefits. And I feel like at least 10% of most people’s scalp hair will continue to remain very strong into old age, so early storage is perhaps a bit too much of a risk averse strategy?
However, a new development finally made me write this post today.
Acorn Biolabs Topical Secretome Hair Growth Treatment out in 2025
In late 2024, Acorn Biolabs launched an Early Access topical haircare treatment created from one’s own hair follicle stem cells. This hair loss product would only be available at select clinics in the US and Canada. The company plans to conduct a broader launch in early 2025 after analyzing the initial clinical data. They call this topical an autologous secretome product.
The hair follicle cell collection process takes 30 minutes during which a trained professional plucks 50 fully intact hair follicles from the back of your head. The cost of collection is around $1,000, with further fees for storage dependent on desired duration. The personalized topical stem cell based secretome product is created, formulated and applied at a clinic (and later at home by yourself) via the below process.
According to the company’s main hair loss secretome treatment page (which has a “Join Waitlist” option), secretomes are superior to exosomes when it comes to hair growth. Secretomes contain a broader range of regenerative factors and proteins, and even include a certain amount of exosomes. More details can be read here.
Per Acorn, their individualized secretome product contains up to 34 times more growth factors compared to traditional PRP.
Acorn at “Don’t Die Summit”: March 22nd 2025
Acorn Biolabs will have an active presence at this week’s Bryan Johnson led Don’t Die Summit in Miami on March 22nd 2025. They have their own page where you can register and reserve a spot for one of 50 available stem cell collection appointments. Quote:
“Secure your spot to be amongst the first to access Acorn’s first topical secretome treatment with up to 34x the growth factors of PRP.”
CEO Drew Taylor
The CEO of Acorn Biolabs, Dr. Drew Taylor, has a very interesting background. He played professional minor league baseball as a pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays and the Philadelphia Phillies. His personal sporting injuries gave him an early interest in regenerative medicine.
He got Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology at the University of Michigan. Followed by a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Toronto.
Mr. Taylor’s father Ron played major-league baseball with two World Series championship teams, and later returned to school to become the team physician for the Toronto Blue Jays.